Sweet Dreams
by Maybe Someday
Summary: Ginny and Harry get back together after the final battle.


No copyright infrigment intended- aka, i dont own harry potter.

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The journey back to London was the most welcome that Harry had ever experienced. The battle was over, Voldemort was defeated, and the feeling of a great weight lifting off the shoulders of everyone in the wizarding world was as clear as the bright blue sky that hung over a destroyed Hogwarts. All those remaining at Hogwarts, be they students, staff or brave fighters who had come to join the battle, were now boarding the Hogwarts express to go home and be with his families.

Harry wasn't sure where he would be going when he arrived back at Kings Cross station. The time when he had considered Hogwarts as his true home was gone. All he felt now was anger, fear and regret for the losses he caused, when he thought about the castle. Now he felt lost in the world, without a home of his own to go back to. The one place he most associated with a real home was the Burrow, but he was afraid that he wasn't welcome there anymore.

The train was slowly filling when Harry began to board. He didn't have any luggage to carry, so he made his way down the aisle feeling oddly light. As he walked alone he saw many faces look out at him from compartment windows. They smiled at him as he passed, but their smiles were tainted with tears. Who could he sit with without feeling guilty? He had been avoiding most people since the end of the battle, including those who he knew might be able to comfort him most.

He passed a compartment containing some familiar faces. Bill, Fleur and George Weasley were sitting together, not looking at or talking to each other. George had his eyes closed and his head pressed against the window, while bill and Fleur were sitting arm in arm, both staring down at the floor.

Harry continued past them and a few more compartments down, he found Ron and Hermione. They were sitting side by side, holding hands and deep in conversation. When harry passed Ron looked up and smiled at him, beckoning him to join them, but Harry continued walking. He knew they had been talking about him and the idea of being this close to two people who had a very good reason to be happy together was too much to bear. Harry wanted more than anything to be as happy as they were, but he was afraid that he had ruined any chance he had in that department.

A few more compartments down, he was confronted with the one thing he knew was the most exciting and also the most frightening thing in his new life. The rest of the Weasley family were sitting together, a sea of red heads. Most of them were engaged in a conversation that seemed to be rather cheerful, although Harry could see that they all had very red eyes. But one of the group was not chatting happily with the others. Ginny sat in the far corner, her head bowed, staring at her hands in her lap. Harry felt a sharp and painful twinge somewhere in his chest and quickly moved on before any of them noticed he was there.

He had not been able to speak to Ginny at all since the battle had finished. After he left the headmasters office, he had planned to find her and tell her everything that he had done and seen in the past year. He knew she would be a great comfort to him and he was hoping to return the favour. But when he did find her, siting in the crumbled Gryffindor dormitory, gazing at the dying fire. The room was crowded enough that she didn't notice him, but he could see her and the look on her face was so sad that he barley recognised her. Harry had never seen her look so upset, and he had a sudden realisation that all the trouble in her life in the past year, had been all his fault. He had put her through so much, how could he possible expect her to forgive him now.

He finally found an empty compartment and slid inside. Before long he had fallen asleep. His dreams were filled with an angry Ginny, a crying Mrs Weasley and a kissing Ron and Hermione.

"Harry? Harry, wake up!" someone was shaking him gentle on the shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a familiar shade of warm brown looking down at him. For a split second he thought that Ginny had finally forgiven him, before realising that it was Mrs Weasley who had woken him.

"Come on, Harry dear, it's time to go home." She said, smiling warmly at him.

"Oh right, thanks Mrs Weasley." Harry said, wondering where he would go now. Grimmauld Place, maybe?

Harry got up off his seat and followed Mrs Weasley out of the compartment and onto the station platform. It was deserted except for the small Weasley clan and Hermione. Clearly Harry had overslept and everyone else traveling on the train had already gone home. They were all watching him as he stepped off the train, except for Ginny who had her eyes to the ground again.

"We will be using this portkey to get home Harry." Said Mr Weasley, holding up an old, grubby looking, top hat that had a large hole at the brim.

"Oh right," said harry feeling awkward. "Well, have a safe trip then."

Mr Weasley gave him a knowing smile. "You are coming with us, Harry."

"Of cause he's coming with us." Said Mrs Weasley, grabbing harry and pulling him towards the group. Apparently he had no choice but to go back to the Burrow, a prospect that lit a small but very warm fire inside his chest.

They gathered together and placed their hands collectively on the top hat portkey. Harry tried to catch Ginny's eye, but she was deliberately avoiding his gaze. Soon enough they were back at the burrow and everyone had dispersed into their own private solitude.

They came together again at dinner time. They had all managed to make it to the Burrow barley saying a word to each other. When Harry took his seat at the table he found there to be a hub of conversation. Some were reliving their victories in the battle, while others were celebrating what they would do with themselves now that the threat of Voldemort was gone.

"I can't wait to get back to the store and really get business going again." George said to the group, with a determined look on his face.

"That's great, George." said Bill.

George nodded, "It's what Fred would have wanted." His father, sitting beside him, clapped him on the back and the people sitting around the table nodded in agreement.

"This is a time to remember the good in life." said Mr Weasley. "They wouldn't want us to stop living. Let's honour them the only way we can, by living the lives they fought to preserve."

"Hear hear!" said Charlie, raising his glass. Everyone mimicked him and they tucked into their first proper meal in days. The conversation continued, with the only exception being Ginny. Harry couldn't help but notice that she was unusually quiet all throughout dinner. But it was only harry who seemed to notice that anything was wrong. When dinner was done they all went off to bed for an early night. Harry was looking forward to a proper night's sleep, something he hadn't had in weeks. But he was worried about Ginny and wanted to get to the bottom of her problem. Even if she hated him forever, he certainly didn't hate her, and seeing her in this much pain was too much bear. He cornered her on the stairs as they went up to bed.

"Gin! Hey Ginny, wait a sec."

As soon as she heard him call her name she went rigid. Keeping her head to the ground she said "Can it wait Harry, I'm really tired?"

"Look Ginny, I'm really sorry about everything.."

She cut him off before he could continue "Its fine, really." She started to walk away, without even looking at him.

"Wait, please Ginny. I know something's wrong." He reached for her hand, but she shrugged him off.

"Im fine." She said again. With her back to him and a pleading note in her voice she said, "I just want to go to bed, please Harry."

"Oh, ok." He said, still confused. But he let her walk away, and she made it all the way to her bedroom without so much as a glance in his direction.

Harry went up to the room he shared with Ron. He felt like he needed to talk to someone about his girl troubles, but Ron seemed like the wrong person. Determined to ask Hermione what she thought first thing in the morning, he went to bed, looking forward to a dreamless and restful sleep.

A piercing scream broke the silence of the sleeping house. Harry woke with a fright, which quickly turned to deathly fear. What had happened to someone in the house? Had some supporters of the death eaters decided to get revenge?

Harry sat bolt upright in bed. He looked over to see the blurry shape of Ron looking at him. He grabbed his glasses off the bedside table and shoved him on his face. Ron's face was a mixture of confusion and fear.

"What was that?" said Ron.

"I don't know." Said harry, but there was something familiar about the scream that gave birth to an incredible fear in the pit of his stomach.

Suddenly there was another scream and Ron and Harry leapt from their beds, wands in hand and ran for the door. The whole house was beginning to stir, and as Harry and Ron ran down the stairs from the top floor, they were joined on the way by the rest of the house.

"What's going on?" said George as he came pelting out of his room.

"Who screamed?" said bill as he and Fleur joined them.

Harry merely shook his head. He had definitely recognised the voice at the second scream and his entire body was not buzzing with fear. He was almost at the kitchen when he saw a flash of red hair whip around the corner. By the time the group got into the kitchen they found the back door open. Someone was crouching on the grass, screaming.

"NO, Harry, please no! Come back! Please No! AHHHH!"

Mrs and Mrs Weasley went running into the yard and they were followed by the rest of their family.

"Ginny, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" asked Mr Weasley, trying to hug his daughter.

But she would stop screaming. She thrashed around in her father's arms, and as her mother attempted to subdue her she only screamed louder.

"No, No please, No! Harry, HARRY! Please, No!"

The family was surrounding her, trying to wake her up from the nightmare that was terrifying her. But she continued to thrash and scream, and there were tears streaming out of her eyes that were tightly shut against the world.

Harry broke through the wall of people and took hold of Ginny in a tight hug.

"Ginny, it's ok. I'm here. It Harry. I'm here and I'm fine."

She continued to squirm in his arms but she stopped screaming. Her brow was creased in concentration and confusion.

"Ginny, wake up! You need to wake up and look at me!"

Ginny took a desperate breath and her eyes shot open. "Harry?" she said looking directly at him for the first time in days. Tears were streaming down her face and she was sobbing.

"I…I thought… I though you…"

"It's ok. It was just a dream. I'm here."

She threw her face into his chest and he held her in his arms tightly. "Harry, it was awful. You were gone again."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere! I promise."

The people around them watched in with interest, and it occurred to Harry that some of them might not have been aware of his relationship with the youngest Weasley.

"Let's get back to bed, everyone." Mrs Weasley announced, rather prudently.

They all traipsed back towards the house, but Harry and Ginny remained behind. Nestled under an old oak tree, they sat together in silence watching the sun come up. After what felt like hours Harry finally began to tell Ginny the story of his past year, and she listened attentively, only succumbing to tears on a few rare occasions. Finally when the sun had fully risen, and the house began to stir again they made their way inside to have breakfast with the rest of the family. This, Harry thought, was what he had fought so hard for the past year to defend, and he wanted nothing more than to move on and start the next and most fantastic part of his life.

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Thanks for taking the time to read my story! id love to hear what you think and if there are any improvements you can suggest. :)


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